I've got a copy of Packer Tracer on my PC at home. I've messed around with it in the past but I'm gonna take it a little bit more seriously. As far as testing software, I'll have to search around a bit. I'm pretty sure the books came with some.

The job is great! I'm trying to move up within the company as they've offered a few positions to internal staff, and I noticed they look for CCNA/MCSA so I'm going to try and tackle the CCNA first and see where I'm at after that. I'm very happy with the position and the company as a whole.

Do you think the 26xx routers are still sufficient for training? How many should I get? Should I also buy a switch? I recently bought the 2 book CCNA Official Exam Certification Library. Since the CCNA is now split into two exams, do you recommend taking the CCENT first?

2600 routers are still sufficient for practice, in my opinion. Cisco's Packet Tracer is another good option for practicing labs/commands - and may be preferable due to its flexibility. Some people prefer using the actual hardware though.

Using a switch (physical or simulated) is a must. VLAN, VTP, and STP concepts and commands are covered on the CCNA.

Whether you take the CCNA as one exam or two would depend on your experience. If you have limited exposure to networking and the Cisco command line, I would take the CCNA as two exams - the first being a more advanced version of Network+, and the second focusing more on the command-line. For more experienced engineers who have basic networking down cold, I would save the money and take it as one exam.